The Son Of Prometheus
by Ashen Tears
Summary: Grover's found a new half-blood.Percy soon realizes that Theo is very powerful.But when they are sent on a quest to rescue the missing Ophiotaurus,Percy knows Theo is more than he seems.Can he trust Theo,or will he betray them all?Between TLO and TLH.
1. The Assignment

Percy's POV

Malcolm's sword slashed down. I countered the strike, rolled to one side and came up swinging. He ducked and jabbed at my stomach. I locked his sword hilt with mine, twisting it out of his hand, and swept the point of Riptide up to his throat.

Just then, Chiron cantered into the sword fighting arena. "Percy!" he called. "Come with me. I have a message for you."

I capped Riptide, which immediately shrank to a ballpoint pen. Pocketing it, I jogged over to Chiron.

"Grover's found another one," he told me. "In his words, 'Nothing like I've ever smelled before.'"

"Grover's got a great nose," I joked. "If he said that, I'd better listen."

"You'll be with Nico," Chiron said. He handed me a sheet of paper. "This is the address of the school. The boy's name is Theo Quinn and he's in eighth grade. Thirteen years old."

"Okay." I folded the paper and put it in my pocket. I was about to run off to my cabin to get packed, but Chiron caught my shoulder.

"I just wanted to say…good luck, Perseus," he said.

I mumbled a thank you and dashed off. I didn't know why, but whenever somebody used my real name like that, I got nervous.

As I was walking towards Cabin Three, I spotted Nico outside the Hades cabin.

Evidently, he'd seen me too. "Hey, Percy," he said, jogging over. "Chiron tell you about the assignment yet?"

"Yeah," I said. "He was a little vague about it, though."

"Mm-hmm," Nico agreed. "I mean, Grover's found three Big Three demigods. If this one's like 'nothing he's ever smelled before'…I don't know what to make of it."

"Ah, well," I said. "First, let's concentrate on getting him to camp alive."


	2. Casper

Percy's POV

After taking a train to Cheyenne, Wyoming, we caught a bus to the town of Casper, and soon stood in front of the Richard Kaysen International School.

I looked at Nico. "You _did_ do the Mist thing, right?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Percy, I know how important this thing is. You don't need to remind me."

"I was just…I just wanted to…oh, forget it," I grumbled. Nico smirked.

"Okay, let's go." We pushed the doors open and walked inside.

Our footsteps echoed in the massive entrance hall as we strode towards the tenth-grade dormitory where Grover was staying. No one tried to stop us; Nico had done his Mist tricks well.

When we found the dorm, we walked along the line of doors until we found one that said 'G. Underwood'. We pushed it open gently and saw Grover sitting on his bunk (wearing, as usual, his baggy jeans, fake feet and rasta cap).

"Percy!" he said. "Nico! You made it!"

"Yeah, G-man," I said, bumping his shoulder. "Wouldn't have missed it for anything."

"Why are you here?" Nico asked. "It's one in the afternoon. Don't you have classes?"

"No, lunch is at 12:45," Grover explained. "The others are down in the dining hall."

"Okay," I said. "Monsters?"

"That's the weird thing," Grover said. "I can't smell any monsters."

Nico and I glanced at each other. "Are you sure?" Nico said. "That's unusual."

"Tell me about it," Grover said.

"Well, then," I said. "There's nothing for it. Let's find Theo. We've got some explaining to do."


	3. Theo

As half-bloods go, it wasn't very hard to find Theo.

Grover knew him, so we went to the dining hall, and Grover was able to pick him out. He was a small, raven-haired boy, sitting at a table by himself as students chattered all around him. He wasn't even eating.

His face brightened as he noticed Grover. Apparently, the two were good friends.

"Hi, Theo," Grover said. "I've brought some friends to meet you."

His brows furrowed in confusion. "Who are you?" he asked me. "Are you a new student?"

Nico looked at me and raised his eyebrows. I nodded. He could see through the Mist so easily. There was no doubt in my mind that he was a powerful half-blood.

"Yeah," I lied. "I just arrived today. Grover's told me all about you."

"There's…something we want to tell you," Nico said. "Could you come with us for a minute?"

Theo didn't hesitate. He hopped up and followed us out of the dining hall towards Grover's dorm. Inside, he settled himself next to Grover on the bed. Nico and I sat on the floor.

No one spoke for a long time.

Finally, I cleared my throat. "Theo," I said, "this is going to be a little hard to accept, but you have to trust me, okay? Otherwise, they'll find you."

Theo's eyes widened, but he nodded.

"Do you know the Greek myths?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he replied. "Like Typhon, the Chimera…those ones?"

"Yes." I took a deep breath. "You might not believe this, but…they're real."

I expected him to try and beat me up, call me a lunatic, something like that. It's happened plenty of times. But that's not what happened at all.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed. "All these years…I thought I was going mad myself!"

I looked at Grover. He looked just as baffled as I felt.

"Okay, Theo. So…one of your parents is a Greek god or goddess."

_Now_ he looked surprised, if only for a moment. "It must have been my father," he decided. "I live with my mother during the holidays, so…"

Nico took over. "There's a camp for people like us in New York. It's called Camp Half-Blood. We need to take you there, or the monsters will hunt you down and kill you."

He nodded. "I can be packed and ready in five minutes."

**How do you like it? Pls review!**

**This might be on hold for a couple days - i'm planning a miniseries called the Garth Polden Saga. It's about a son of Poseidon. Still working on the idea though.**


	4. Cerastes

Nico's POV

We caught the evening train to Grand Central. The three of us were in one compartment, along with a kind-looking elderly man reading a newspaper.

Theo yawned. I didn't blame the kid; he'd just taken up a burden no kid deserves.

"I need a nap," he said. "Could you wake me up when we get there?" His head drooped onto Percy's shoulder.

The old man had set his newspaper on the seat, and was now gazing at Theo with a strange glint in his eyes. I suppose I should have taken a hint from that, but I was too preoccupied by the day's events.

With nothing else to do, I began probing the people around me.

Being a son of Hades, I could detect souls and, with a bit of concentration, their emotions.

There was Theo, shocked and utterly exhausted from the day's revelations. Poor kid. I remembered how I'd felt when I found out I was a demigod.

There was Percy, who didn't seem all that worked up. He did these types of missions every week; this was kid stuff for him.

I concentrated on the old man next to me. As my probe reached him, I recoiled in shock. There was no soul there; only a gnawing, devastating hunger.

I was about to warn Percy, but, as if sensing my probe, the old man leapt up and began a horrific transformation.

"Cerastes!" Percy shouted, as the guise fell away to reveal a massive horned serpent. Theo jerked awake, and cowered behind Percy as the snake reared up.

Percy uncapped his pen to reveal his celestial bronze sword, and stabbed at the serpent, but it avoided the attack easily and darted forward. Percy managed to deflect the strike, but his sword was twisted from his hand and skittered under a seat.

I drew my Stygian iron blade (which I had decided to call The Grim Reaper, or in Greek, _Charos_ – but more of that later) and swung at the snake. Even the touch of Stygian iron should have killed it, but it recovered quickly and stabbed at me with its horns. I jumped onto its head and cut it in half at the throat, and the serpent dissolved into gray dust.

Theo coughed. "What…what was that?"

"A monster," Percy said. "And trust me, you'll meet far worse soon enough."


	5. Back To Camp

Percy's POV

The cab dropped them off at the foot of a small hill. The sign read 'Delphi Strawberry Service'.

"This is it?" Theo muttered. "I came all this way for a 'Pick-your-own-strawberries' convention?

Without a word, I walked up the hill and saw Camp Half-Blood spread out in front of me. The woods that were packed with monsters. The climbing wall with lava pouring down it. The Big House, where one of my least favorite gods was waiting to turn me into a dolphin.

Home sweet home.

With Theo trailing behind us, Nico and I jogged towards the Big House. Chiron (in wheelchair form), Mr. D and Grover were playing three-player pinochle on the porch. Grover kept chewing on his cards and bleating nervously.

When he saw me, he jumped up. "Percy, you're back! How did it go?" Then he noticed Theo behind me. "Um, I guess…"

"Hello, Johnson," Mr. D interrupted. "I see you found another one. Ah, well, just my bad luck."

Chiron wheeled himself over and shook my hand. "Good to see you, Percy." His eyes strayed over to Theo. "Nico," he said, "please take Theo to the orientation film. You know where it is." Nico led Theo off.

"Don't you have training to do, Percy?" Chiron said. I caught the hint and walked off towards Cabin Three.

I had a bad feeling. Chiron wouldn't meet my eyes, and I got the feeling that there was something he wasn't telling me.


	6. Swordplay

Percy's POV

I was working out with Nico in the sword fighting arena when I heard footsteps at the entrance. I turned and saw Theo watching us in awe.

Nico smiled at him. "Hi, Theo. Finished the camp tour?

Theo mumbled a yes, still staring at Riptide.

I caught his look. "You want to try, Theo?" I asked him. "I can get you one of the practice swords."

His eyes widened, but he nodded eagerly. Nico left the arena, and was back in a few minutes with a rusty, slightly bent bronze sword. I gave him a dirty look. "Sorry," he said. "It was the only one left." He passed the sword to Theo, who tried a few practice swings and nearly took my head off.

"Okay, Theo, ready?" I said. He nodded.

_I'll just go easy on him_, I thought. _He's never held a sword in his life._

We circled each other warily for a minute or two. I opened the duel with a jab to the stomach, but Theo twisted, spun, and slapped the base of my blade with the flat of his own. I managed to hang on to my sword, but my thoughts were in turmoil. _How did he learn to fight like that?_

Theo pressed forward, slicing at my legs. I jumped over the strike and swung at his right side, which had been exposed by the attack, but he somehow brought his sword up in time.

_I need to end this quickly_, I thought. I backed away, daring him to come after me. He took the bait, bringing his sword down in an overhead strike, but I caught it with my own, twisting his hilt. The force of the blow was too powerful, though.

Our swords clattered to the floor.

Theo looked as shocked as I did. With a fearful look at me, he dropped his sword and ran from the arena.

I picked up his sword and, capping Riptide, walked over to Nico, who was gazing after Theo.

"Are you sure he's never been to camp?" Nico said.

I laughed, but there was a nervous edge to it. "Not as far as I can remember," I said, "but I'm starting to have some doubts…"


	7. The Prophecy

Percy's POV

The rest of the day flew by. Archery, arts and crafts and rock climbing took up the rest of the day. I was lying on my bunk in Cabin Three, taking a well-deserved rest, when I heard the familiar sound of a conch shell in from the dining pavilion.

I dragged myself off the bed, tossed on a fresh T-shirt and trudged up towards the pavilion.

On the way, I passed the Hermes cabin. I stopped to talk to a couple of my friends, but Theo didn't say a word. He just stared at me fearfully whenever I tried to talk to him.

Up at the dining pavilion, I sat by myself at the Poseidon table. I saw Annabeth chatting with her friends at the Athena table, Nico sitting alone at the Hades table, and Grover at the main table, looking fearfully between Mr. D and his plate of tin cans and cheese enchiladas.

I loaded my plate with some fresh fruits and barbecue. All the campers lined up near the bronze brazier and, as was customary, dropped in part of their meal as a sacrifice to the gods.

I dropped in a cluster of strawberries. "Poseidon," I said quietly, "accept my offering."

I walked back to my table and began to eat. When all the campers had eaten their fill, several nymphs arrived to clear the plates, and Chiron pounded one hoof on the marble floor of the pavilion.

"I would like to make some announcements," he said. "Capture the flag has been cancelled, owing to the slightly delicate situation on Olympus at the moment."

Nervous whispers broke out through the pavilion. Eventually, though, I couldn't stand the suspense. I stood up. "_What_ situation?"

Rachel stood up from the main table. "The Ophiotaurus has gone missing."

An unearthly silence fell over the campers. Even the crickets stopped chirping, as if they had been struck dumb by the significance of those five words.

Now Katie Gardiner from Demeter stood up. "I know it's the Titans again!" she said. "We can't just stand by while Olympus is in danger! We need a quest!"

The flames of the bonfire burned three meters high as the excitement grew.

"All right!" Chiron shouted. He turned to Rachel. "We will need…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Rachel closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were glowing green. A few of the younger campers, who had not seen this before, gasped in shock.

Rachel began to speak in a rasping voice.

"_Five shall go to the palace of black,  
As loyalties begin to crack,  
The elder gods shall enter the fray,  
As the traitor refuses to betray,  
But in the end it's down to one  
To decide our fate, our leader alone._"

She collapsed back on her chair, but sat up a few seconds later, her eyes back to normal. "Did somebody get that?"

"Yes," Will Solace called out, scribbling on a piece of paper. He got up and handed it to Chiron.

Chiron examined it. "Does anyone know what 'palace of black' could mean?"

"Hades' palace?" Chris Rodriguez suggested. Nico glared at him.

Annabeth stood up. "It could be Mount Othrys," she said hesitantly.

Chiron nodded. "Probably. Elder gods must refer to the Big Three…"

"No," I said. "I don't think so."

He looked at me quizzically.

"Uh, I don't know," I mumbled. I was uncomfortable with everyone staring at me. "We have Mount Othrys in this prophecy already. Doesn't it make sense that 'elder gods' could be the Titans?"

"I think he's right," Travis Stoll agreed. "It makes more sense that way."

Chiron cleared his throat. "Moving on…does anyone know who this traitor could be?"

No one said anything.

"And last…I think this is an easy one," Chiron joked. "Our leader."

"PERCY!" the entire camp bellowed. My face went red.

"Percy it is," Chiron decided. "He shall lead this quest." He turned to me. "You may choose four companions, Percy."

I stood up. "Grover, I'm going to need you on this one." He trotted over to where I was standing.

"Annabeth and Nico, you're in." They also came to join us.

And as for one more…

"Theo," I said. "Will you join us?"

He hesitated. "I – I – I will," he stammered.

"This is our quest team." Chiron's voice rang out. "They will depart at dawn tomorrow. Please return to your cabins immediately." The campers dispersed, deep in conversation about the night's events. Me…well, I was too shocked. I'd befriended the Ophiotaurus two years before. Bessie…kidnapped? It didn't seem possible.

Sleep didn't come easily that night.


End file.
